Any Idiot Can Run for Office, so Why Don’t You?

Political offices these days are open for the taking. Do you have a questionable past? Don’t worry about it. Vetting doesn’t matter, even when it’s conducted. Corruption and nepotism are as prevalent and unrestrained as ever, so why not use them to your benefit? Politicians sure are. The bottom line is: if you want a say regarding the future of your city, state, or country, you’re going to have to run for office. Otherwise, the list of liars, cheats, and fools making decisions about how you are able to live your life will just get longer.

The recent election of Representative George Santos (R-NY) exemplifies the irrelevance of vetting processes in politics these days. To be fair, even if you are subjected to vetting, it won’t matter much anyway. For example, is it difficult for you to control your anger? That’s apparently fine, considering that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) got into a fight in the bathroom of the House of Representatives, and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) lunged at Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) during the vote for House Speaker. 

Do you have a penchant for soliciting bribes? In this business, that’s more of a feature than a bug. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) does it, despite multiple investigations, past and present. Politics is a great family business, too. Menendez’s son, Robert “Rob” Menendez Jr. rode his father’s coattails to a seat in the House of Representatives (D-NJ). The Menendezes aren’t exceptional in this regard. The Clintons, Kennedys, and Bushes are the obvious examples, but Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) father served in Congress, too. Then there are the Conyerses, Frelinghuysens, Kildees, Levins, McKeons, Pences, and so on… Wouldn’t you like the peace of mind that comes with knowing that no matter what you do or don’t do, your child can grow up to make $174,000 per year (as of 2023) as a Congressman if you do it first? That’s a base salary, by the way. It does not take into account the lucrative perquisites of holding political office, which in Congress include insider trading; just ask Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

This isn’t to say that if you run, you will be guaranteed to win. Herschel Walker ran for the US Senate in Georgia, and took the race to a runoff, before narrowly losing. Despite his history of domestic violence, which includes holding a gun to his wife’s head and threatening to murder her and his children, as well as having paid for abortions for his girlfriends, Walker ran as a family values candidate and opposed abortion without exception. Of course, we can’t forget the bombastic and vulgar game show host who ran for President of the United States in 2016, supposedly in an opportunistic attempt to launch a news network, only to win! 

This list shows that it doesn’t matter what’s wrong with you. You don’t need rational political opinions or policy ideas, if any at all. Nor do you need relevant experience to win a seat at the local, state, or even national level. This is the new normal. If you don’t run for office, people like the aforementioned will. Heck, they will probably run whether you do or not. The point is, if you don’t stand in their way, they’ll almost certainly be elected. Then they’ll consider it their right to make decisions for you that support their own personal interests, rather than their duty and responsibility to preserve your rights and protect your interests.

To be clear, no one should reasonably expect anything in this country to get better as long as we resign ourselves to letting any opportunist, no matter how untrustworthy, write and decide policy regarding our health, public safety, economy, etc.

As much as this article tries to use sarcastic if not sardonic humor to get your attention and drive home a point, its message is serious: run for office. Candidate Boot Camp, New American Leaders, Run for Office, Running Start, She Should Run, and other organizations have been set up to encourage, train, and support people who have never considered becoming candidates before. Also, this helpful guide can tell you a bit about what to expect if you decide to run. Is there any policy or law that you think should be different? If you don’t try to make it happen, why would you expect anyone else to?

She Should Run Running Start New American Leaders Candidate Boot Camp #corruption #congress #nancypelosi #bribery #senate #houseofrepresentatives #elections #campaigns #georgesantos #insidertrading #healthcarereform #economicrecovery #politics #scandal